Manufacture of shoes



Aug. 27, 1940. w, MANSHELD 2,212,612

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed March 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5'0 Fig.8

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W. H. MANSFIELD MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed March 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Figlz Patented Aug. 27, 1940 ,"a z asiz r V MANUFACTURE OF snoiss I Willis H.'Mansfield, HaverhilL Mass, assignor to I 1 United Shoe Machinery'corporation, Borough sey of FlemingtomN, J a corporationof New Jer- Application March 21-, 1938, Serial No. 197,066

This invention relates to methods of making shoes having flexibleforeparts and to improvements in such shoes as articles of manufacture, For the purpose of securing flexibility in the foreparts' of shoes it is a well-known practice to employ in the shoe a so-called complemental insole-outsole combination consisting of an insole havinga -central forepart opening or recess and an outsole having a forepart projectionwhich is complemental to the insole opening or recess and thus to provide for the securing of single sole thickness, or substantially single sole thickness, in the central ball portions of the shoes. In making such a shoe in accordance with methods heretofore practiced, the shoe is lasted and the, margin of its upper secured inoverlasted position upon the insole and thereafter the outsole is laid and attached to the upper. Usually pyroxylin cement -is'utilized for attaching the outsole although in some instances the outsole is stitched to a welt which" has been insea-med to the upper or the outsole is secured to the upper and to the insole by means of through-and-through stitching. In all such cases, however, the flexibility of the shoe is impaired more. or less seriously by the means employed in attaching the outsole.

One object of the present invention is to provide for obtaining a maximum amount of flexi bility in shoes the inner and outer soles of which have complemental interfitting 'forep'arts without sacrificing security of attachment of "the outsoles and without producing any inherent weak nessf or incorporating unreliable or disadvan tageous features of construction in the shoes.

With this object in view the invention provides an improvement in methods. of shoemaking which, as herein illustrated, involves providing an insole having a central forepart recess and an outsole having a central forepart projection com plernental to said insole recess and having also an'inner marginal channeland an outer marginal shoulder of the type customarily employed in a sole for a. turn shoe, securing an upper wrong- I sideout to the outsole by stitches laid in the channel and holding the upper against the shoulder,

turningthe shoe, and thereafter securing the inextends nearly but not quite'ithrough the insole.

. 8 Claims, (oi-12442) i it The shoe produced by my improved method is of novel construction, having the flexibility and other advantageous features of turn shoe construction and, in addition, it embodies an innersole which covers the channel andshoulder in the tread sole and protects the foot iromthe ridgeiormed by" the inseam but which on ac-. count of being skeletonized orrecessed in its ball portion has no substantial tendency to stiffen the forepart of the shce'bottom.

The invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the specification. I n the drawings, i Fig. l is a plan view'of a sole blank employed in the practice of my improved method, the out lines of the sole members to be formed from the blank being indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is an edge View of the blank-as it appears after it has beenrounded 'to outsole size.

and shape and incised to outline an insole at one side of the blank; I

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the skeleton insole produced from the sole blank showing the waste strip produced by theuincising operation;

'Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View of the outsole produced from the blank;

-Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the skeleton insole; I

Fig. 6 is a top perspective View of the outsole as it appears after the channeling and shoulder forming operations have been performed; 7

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of an insole-outsole combination illustrating a modified construction of the complementalportions of the soles; 4

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line VIII-NIH of Fig. 6, illustrating the character of the channel and shoulder formed on the outsole; it

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View of the shoe in process of construction, illustrating the appearance of the shoe after the upper has been lasted inside-out and stitched to the outsole;

*FigmlO is a fragmentary cross-sectional view 7 of the shoe as it appears after it has been turned and after the skeleton insole has been secured in place within the shoe and the second last has been inserted;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the shank portion of the shoe on the second last; Fig. 12 is a view, partially in perspective and the blank is incised, as indicated by the dotted line 24, to outline at one side of the blank an insole of a size and shape appropriate for use with the said outsole in the manufacture of a shoe. The rounding operation results in forming the blank which is shown inedge view in Fig. 2. The incision 24 in the blank 26 extends to a depth corresponding to the thickness of a required 'insole. Advantageously, the rounding and incising operations may be performed by means of a so-called double knife rounding ma-, chine, such for example as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,057,665, granted October 20, 1936, upon application of F. E. Bertrand. The rounded andincised blank 26 is divided along the dotted line X-- X (Fig. 2) intoan insole 28,,an outsole 30, and a marginal waste strip 3!, see Figs. 3 and 4, the insole 28 having a central opening 32 extending entirely through its forepart and the outsole having a central forepart elevation or projection 34: which is complemental to the insole opening 32. Alternatively, the blank 26 may be divided into an insole 280 (Fig. .7) having a central recess 3.20 extending only part Way through its forepart and .an outsole 300 having a central forepart proa closed jection 340 complemental to the insole recess 32B. The-dividing operation may conveniently be performed by a means of a matrix'roll type splitting machine of the general type of that disin United States Letters Patent No. 2,053,304, granted September 8, 1936, upon application of W. D. Thomas, such a machine having a straight edged splitting knife against which the sole blank is fed edgewise by means of cooperating matrix rolls which temporarily deform or distort the blank by depressing its central forward portion so that the knife will emerge around the periphery of the depressed portion of the blank if a recessed insole is to be formed or will out nearly but not quite through the depressed portion. 7

At the completion of the splitting operation the insole 28 is ready for use in the shoe. However, inasmuch as the upper is to be lasted over and permanently secured directly to the outsole the latter is fitted to receive the upper, preferably and as herein illustrated by having formed therein an inner marginal channel 38 and an outer marginal shoulder 48 (see Figs. 6 and 8), the channel and the shoulder being of the type ordinarily formed in the sole of a turn shoe.

In making the shoe the outsole 30 is temporarily secured on the bottom of a first last 42, an upper 44 is mounted wrong-side out upon the last and the upper is pulled over, the shoe lasted, and the margin of the upper temporarily secured in overlasted position against the shoulder 40 With, the outsole projection 340 interfitting within the recess 320 in the insole and supporting the exceedingly thin central ball portion 32I of the recessed insole. In this case, also, a comple- The outsole projections will,

mental insole-outsole combination is provided in which the central ball portion of the shoe bot tomis of substantially single sole thickness, the central ball portion 32I of the insole being so thin' that its presence will not stiffen the shoe. P referably the insole is secured in place by means of rubber cement, such as latex, which is initially applied to the outsole facing side of the insole and which will not harden or stiffen so as to interfere with the flexibility of the shoe. Prior to securing of the insole, a shank piece is laid 'upon the insole in the heel and shank portions of the shoe and temporarily secured in place in any well-known manner. As shown, this shank piece maybe of the type commonly known as a turn shank piece comprising a leather or fiber piece 48 corresponding in outline to that of the heel and shank portion of the interior of the shoe bottom and a metallic stiffener strip 50 which is secured in any suitable manner to the fiber piece. A last 52 corresponding to the second last ordinarily employed in the manufacture of a turn shoe in next inserted within the shoe (see Fig. 10) after which the shoe is pound-v ed up and leveled. Thereafter, the heel seat portion of the outsole is fitted for the reception of a heel, and a heel, such as the wood heel 54, is attached, for example, by means of nails 56 which are driven from the inside of the shoe and which serve also permanently to secure the shank piece 48 in place. Finally, a sock lining, such as the three-quarter lengthlining piece 58, is cemented in place over the heel and shank portion of the insole.

It will be apparent that the finished'shoe has the flexibility and other desirable features of a turn shoe and that furthermore certain disadvantageous characteristics of turn shoe construction have been eliminated. For example, in a turn shoe as customarily made the inner stitchreceiving channel'and the marginal shoulder togetherwith the trimmed margin of the upper materials are exposed or are covered only by a sock lining and in either case an unsightly marginal ridge is formed inside the shoe bottom which is liable to cause discomfort to the wearer of the shoe. In my improved'shoe the marginal channel and shoulder and the inseamed marginal portions of the upper are covered by an insole in s such a manner that no objectionable ridge is formed and a smooth finished surface is provided for engagement with the foot around the marginal portion of the shoe bottom. Moreover, inasmuch as the centralportion of the insole is removedin the forepart of the shoe or has been thinned so that the only remaining portion in that area is of substantially sock lining thickness and is'secured in place only by means of rubber cement or the like, it has no tendency to stiffen the-shoe bottom orto interferev with the flexiing which consists in providing an insole having a forepart aperture and an outsole having a forepart projection complemental to said aperture, securing an upper inside-out to said outsole about its entire periphery, turning the shoe, securing said insole in place within the shoe with said outsole projection interfitting within and filling said insole aperture, and thereafter inserting a second last and finishing the shoe.

2. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which consists in providing an insole having a forepart recess and an outsole having a forepart projection complemental to said recess and having also an inner marginal channel and an outer marginal shoulder, securing an upper inside-out to said outsole about its entire periphery by means of stitches laid within said channel and holding thelowermargin of the upper against said shoulder, turning the shoe, securing said insole in place within the shoe with said outsole projection interfitting within and filling said insole recess, and thereafter inserting a-second last and finishing the shoe.

3. That improvement in methods of shoemaking which consists in providing an outsole having a forepart projection, an inner marginal channel and an outer marginal shoulder each extending entirely around the outsole, and providing an insole having a forepart recess complemental to said outsole projection, said insole being smaller than said outsole but larger than the portion of the outsole that is within said shoulder, securshoulder, turning the shoe, positioning said inmarginal shoulder and an inner marginal channel, an upper having its lower margin secured against said shoulder by stitches laid in said channel, and a separate, full-length insole covering said shoulder and said channel and having an aperture in the mid portion of its forepart which is complemental to said outsole projection and within which the latter is interfitted.

5. A shoe comprising an outsole having a forepart projection and having also an outer marginal shoulder and an inner marginal channel, an upper having its lower margin secured against said shoulder by stitches laid in said channel, and v a separate skeleton insole covering said shoulder and said channel and having a iorepart opening complemental to said outsole projection within which the latter is interfitted.

6. A shoe comprising a separate skeleton insole having a central iorepart opening, an outsole having a central forepart projection complemental to said opening and interfitting within the latter, said outsole having also an inner marby stitches to said outsole only, a separate skeleton insole overlying the inturned portion of the upper and having a central forepart opening complemental to said outsole projection within which the latter interfits, and a shank piece coextensive with the heel and shank portions of said insole located between said soles.

8. As an article of manufacture, a turn sole reduced in thickness about the margin of its forepart so as to leave in the center of itsball portion an integral elevation having a beveled margin and having an inner channel spaced outwardly a substantial distance from said elevation, and a shoulder channel spaced outwardly from said inner channel and forming a feather of less thickness than the portion of the sole margin in which said inner channel is formed.

WILLIS H. MANSFIELD. 

